The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has taken a swipe at the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of prioritizing early 2027 campaign strategies and political defections over Nigeria’s pressing security and economic challenges.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the northern socio-political organization expressed disappointment that the APC-led government appears more preoccupied with securing its re-election than addressing the deteriorating state of the nation.
“Public policy responses to the insecurity situation, especially in the northern part of the country, have remained ineffective, while reckless and extravagant public spending continues unchecked,” the statement noted.
Citing the controversial insertions in the proposed 2025 federal budget, particularly the allocation of over N260 million for individual streetlight projects, the ACF described the development as “a most perverse illustration of reckless profligacy.”
The group lamented that the lack of any official denial further highlights the insensitivity of political leaders to the hardship faced by average Nigerians.
“Such crassly reckless and surreal insertions only underscore the disconnect between public officials and the people, whose living conditions are worsening by the day,” the group warned.
The ACF also criticized what it called “delusional hubris” in official statements about the nation’s security situation, noting that such pronouncements stand in stark contrast to the outcry from state governors battling crises on the ground.
“These obsessions with defections, premature campaigns, and self-serving political maneuvers ignore the growing mass disillusionment, despair, and hopelessness felt by many Nigerians,” the statement added.
Despite the harsh realities, the forum praised the resilience of Nigerians, especially northern citizens, for managing to observe the Eid-el-Kabir celebration in the face of widespread economic hardship.
“Their ability to celebrate amid inflation, wage erosion, and existential uncertainty is a testament to their strength—a quality that should not be exploited or taken for granted,” the group stated.
The ACF called on political leaders at all levels to urgently redirect focus toward good governance, warning that without immediate intervention, Nigeria’s socio-economic and security crises could deepen further.
“The real campaign should be for stability, not 2027. Fix the country first,” the ACF concluded.
